What replacing an incense bowl involves, when it should be renewed, who in the family may do it, and why the customs vary across regions and households.
Discover Vietnam's century-old incense villages, where the spiritual culture is preserved through each handmade stick, from Quang Phu Cau to Thuy Xuan.
Burning votive paper to see off ancestors after Tet usually falls between the 3rd and 10th of the first lunar month, most often the 3rd. What to prepare.
Northern Vietnamese Tet worship runs from seeing off the Kitchen Gods on the 23rd of the 12th lunar month to welcoming ancestors and the vang ma burning rite.
Thon Cao incense village in Hung Yen is Northern Vietnam's largest incense-making craft village, its 18th-century craft tied to ancestress Dao Thi Khuong.
A guide to preparing New Year's Eve offerings, arranging the outdoor and indoor trays by Vietnamese custom, with safety notes and regional differences.
Thanh Minh is when descendants clean ancestral graves and offer rituals. This guide covers offerings, step-by-step procedures, prayers, and safety notes.
Folk taboos for offerings on the Full Moon and the first day of the lunar month, from choosing fruit and flowers to the incense burner and a reverent mindset.
Giỗ hết đại tường marks the end of two years of mourning. It covers the offering tray, how to arrange it, and the sequence for xả tang in Vietnamese custom.
When something goes missing, many Vietnamese families pray to Ong Dia, the Earth God, promising an offering if it turns up. Search first, then try the ritual.
Giỗ thường (cát kỵ) yearly rites need no full feast like giỗ đầu or giỗ hết. Core offerings: hương đèn, trầu cau, rượu trà, a bowl of upside-down rice.
Nghinh Ong Song Doc Festival is the largest sea festival in Ca Mau, held each second lunar month with a sacred whale procession and fishermen's whale worship.
The gio day is an annual memorial rite held on the lunar death date of a family member. This article explains its origin, meaning, and how it is understood.
Rằm tháng 7 is when families make offerings to the Buddha, deities, ancestors and wandering souls, with guidance on timing, the tray and what to avoid.
The Thần Tài prayer in Vietnamese folk tradition: origins, meaning, offerings, how to worship, and the full prayer, the first of the month and the full moon.
First-day Tet travel for 2027: how to choose the hour and direction, prepare offerings, and follow the route, plus why sources disagree on the calculations.
What goes on a southern Vietnamese giỗ tray and how a Mekong Delta death anniversary is held: the dishes, the two days, and the portions guests take home.